French doctor violently arrested for prescribing Ivermectin

Due to four complaints made against him by the state, Dr Jean-Paul Théron was arrested Monday, August 20, in Paea, Tahiti, an island in the French Polynesia. Théron, the referring doctor of the Manu Iti center in Paea and supporter of treatments based on Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, was immediately detained.

The medical doctor was first arrested and released because he had treated Covid-19 patients with Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Then a bailiff returned to Dr Théron’s home on Thursday September 16 to notify him of more spurious complaints filed against him by the state. Dr Théron reportedly expressed his outrage by hurling a tray and various other objects, allegedly lightly injuring the bailiff’s arm.

The bailiff then lodged a complaint for “assault and battery”.

Armed with an excuse, the military branch of the French police returned to Dr Théron’s home on Monday, September 20 to place him in detention. Footage of the arrests shows that Dr Théron was however subjected to violence by the French police. In fact, the violent arrest by the military police resulted in the doctor requiring treatment for cardiorespiratory distress at the Taaone Hospital Centre.

The Associated Press has meanwhile tried to claim that the doctor was not arrested for prescribing Ivermectin and that this was “fake news” but patients treated by the physician confirmed that Théron had been prescribing the alternative life-saving treatment.

French #Polynesia Dr.Jean-Paul Théron -supporter of treatments based on ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine-20/09/2021 pic.twitter.com/MRGjob7DAO

— Nicole Elisei (@EliseiNicole) September 21, 2021

French Polynesia and New Caledonia are currently experiencing a massive surge in Covid-19 cases. France extended a health emergency declaration for the two Pacific Island territories into mid-November — allowing Paris to enact curfews and quarantine rules and monitor borders.

“It’s horrible here, it’s hell. It’s currently hell,” Théron, who lives on French Polynesia’s main island of Tahiti, had told pri.org just days before his arrest. Theron had also pointed out that this surge came on the heels of a trip to French Polynesia by French President Emmanuel Macron in June.

French Polynesia has administered at least 282 180 doses of the jabs so far. Assuming every person needs 2 doses, that has been enough to have vaccinated more than half of the country’s population.

But since the vaccination drive in mid-July, the number of cases has more than doubled in a population of around 280 000 people. Most of French Polynesia’s nearly 600 deaths throughout the whole pandemic have also occurred in the last two months.

Global Covid regulations have wiped out tourism on Pacific island nations, but the visiting presidential team had simply ignored their own quarantine rules: “They reopened the airport; President Macron came and while he was here, they held ceremonies and public appearances with thousands of people. After that, you cannot expect Polynesian people to abide by the rules,” one observer remarked.